Draco Malfoy is Falling Down
by Asha-Rose18
Summary: Draco Malfoy is falling down, falling down, falling down; Draco Malfoy is falling down, because of a fair lady


**LIVE FOR ME**

***

Draco Malfoy's falling down,

Falling down,

Falling down

Draco Malfoy's falling down

Because of a fair lady…

***

They say that before you die, you see your life flash in front of you, kind of like your last viewing of your time on earth. You see the faces of those you loved, those you hated and those who were part of your nice and miserable times on earth.

As Draco Malfoy stood out over the Bridge, he knew it was true. He pulled back his white blond hair as it covered his eyes. The cold November wind whipped past him, but he made no move to leave or disapparate to safety, continuing instead to stand over the great height and look over the city of London. True to form, his life started to flash before his eyes, so real that he felt he was actually reliving every moment.

Life, he saw, had not been so kind on him. Sure he had money and riches, but none of them were enough to say he had lived a fulfilled life. There were his over-achieving parents, the dimwits he had to become friends with, and even his life-long hatred--and envy-- of Potter, Weasley and Granger.

One by one, his memories played out. His first day at Hogwarts, the first time he saw Potter, the moment he was sorted into Slytherin, the day he'd been told he'd be a death-eater—

His first love—

His first kiss—

The moment he had to kill Dumbledore—

The battle—

Time at Azkaban for his past misdeeds—

Then, to top it all off, _her—_

Going over these times were the hardest; even harder than his time at the dreaded wizard prison, Azkaban. But these memories were the ones that played out the slowest; flashing in painfully slow detail showing every beautiful yet painful moment before his very eyes.

Draco, contrary to popular belief, had changed immensely. Since he spent time at Azkaban—no, since the day Dumbledore knocked sense into him—he began to change little by little.

Nowadays, he was nothing like the young, brash Slytherin boy he used to be. One could say he wouldn't hurt a fly, but of course no one would because the society has not turned lightly on him. All he ever tried to do was change, help, and ask forgiveness to those he might've hurt. He opened foundations under various names, gave money to those families he or his kind destroyed out of his own pocket, and even became a potion expert to find and develop new things to cure. Draco himself still looked like the boy from Hogwarts, with platinum blond hair and grey eyes in a pale face, but little of him actually remained.

What little of him that remained was probably from his life-long habits. He still smirked, but only because his face can't seem to smile any way else, it always smirked. Then there was some of the arrogance that remained, but only because every Malfoy was arrogant and proud.

But still, life was cruel. After his time at Azkaban, he had been unable to make any friends. There were no acquaintances, no acceptance, and no forgiveness. It was as if the Wizarding world would never forgive one Draco Malfoy no matter what he did. That must be the reason he fell for her in the first place, because she showed him some kind of acceptance.

"_Wow! That's my front-page right there, Draco Malfoy—Beans or Tinned Soup?" she smiled at him as he bent down to pick up the fallen canned good he had dropped because of her. Scowling, he stood at full height and gave the annoying female a menacing, nasty Malfoy glare._

"_What, are you going to criticize my choice in canned goods too!?" he placed back the cans with a bit too much force than required. "Haven't you got something better to do?" the girl's face softened from her inquisitive smile and put her camera down. Draco scowled and turned to leave, having gotten nothing for dinner that evening._

_He heard the girl break into a run and moments later, he felt a hand on his black cloak. He would always remember that hand; it was soft, small and white, with nails that were trimmed and unpolished. "Hey, sorry Mr. Malfoy! I wasn't going to criticize, quite the contrary, really. Honest…" she was out of breath, but she kept talking while Draco kept walking, wishing she'd just leave._

"_Wait, could you stop for a while, please?" she was panting, but still she continued to follow. Draco finally stopped._

"_What do you want? If you're not here to criticize, then what do you want?" he didn't want to sound rude, but he couldn't help it. They couldn't even leave him to shop anymore. It's like everywhere he looked; there were people out to criticize him even more for his unwanted past._

"_I-I, um, I'm a reporter—_

"_Of course you are…" he said, too tired to be angry. He was going to move again when she held him back._

"_Please listen to me, I'm not reporting to criticize you, I'm here to document your side of the story…I'm on your side, Mr. Malfoy" he scoffed. How could anyone be on his side? No one has ever been on his side, and he was sure no one would ever will. This was just a scam to hurt him even more._

"_Find someone else to pull a prank on" his voice came out thick and strangled, and he violently shrugged out of her hold._

_She didn't follow him again. He left the muggle supermarket and disapparated to work._

_

* * *

  
_

The wind tore through the night, chilling Draco to the very bone. But still, he had no intention of getting off. If the painful memories weren't going to kill him, the cold will.

**

"_What the hell are you doing here!?" Draco demanded as he entered his small apartment just outside of the Wizarding World._

"_I checked the Manor, but your caretaker said it was deserted, so I researched and found your address here" she managed another smile, even under Draco's murderous glare. Thinking back now, that probably was what Draco loved the most about her, her drive to accomplish what she wanted, though it was the one that tore his heart out._

_Draco pinched the bridge of his nose, regulating his breathing. He could feel his wand hand twitching for the wand he kept in his coat pocket, the one that took him another three years to get back. He knew he wouldn't dare do it, but it still didn't stop him from wishing he could hex the life out of the annoying female._

"_I hope I'm not interrupting" she said, a mocking smile on her angelic face. He had to glare back at her._

"_Glad you noticed," He held the door open for her "Now, Leave!"_

"_Nice place you got here, though not what I really expected from the great Draco Malfoy" she sat uninvited on his couch "The readers would really soften with this! The great muggle hater, living in a muggle place!" _

_He clicked his tongue rudely at her, slamming the door behind him and plopping down on the other couch. "What do you want from me?" he asked for the third time that day._

_A Quick-quotes quill jumped up from the girl's bag and positioned itself on her pad. "Just some answers… an insight on the new Draco Malfoy" she replied easily "judging from what I've seen so far, you _have_ changed a lot" he sighed. At least she noticed. Without warning, she held out a hand "I haven't had the chance to introduce myself properly" she beamed "hi, I'm Malina Stuart" _

_**  
_

He supposed it was time to jump. There was nothing left for him anyway, but _she_ refused to go away. He could still remember her warm, inviting smile and her head of strawberry blonde curls. His next memories went from good to great, outlining their moments together. But in between, there were also some other memories. Most of them involving another girl who had actually been a big part of his life, but he never noticed.

**

"_Don't do it, Malfoy!" she pleaded "Please, she's a fake"_

"_Shut Up!" he shouted back "Don't ever talk like that about Malina again…I was wrong to come here, goodbye" he opened the door to her office and banged it when he stepped out._

_ "Damn! Malfoy, fine…"he thought she sounded like she was crying, but he didn't go back. She had just insulted Malina, and anyone who did that was no friend of his. _Oh how wrong he had been…He lost a friend that day. She stopped coming by his office and talking to him while they walked home from work. If he could see her one more time, he'd say sorry. But there was no time, and he never could. "Forgive me…" he muttered to the wind, wishing it could bring his apology to her, but that wasn't possible.

**

"_Malina?" he said, looking around the apartment for his fiancée. She was nowhere to be seen. Why did things seem so different all of a sudden? Was he just too happy? After all, he was getting married the next day. He wanted for them to be together badly, and she being gone only made him nervous. "Malina, where are you?" he called for her with a stupid smile on his face. "I can't see you tomorrow before the wedding so I'd love to spend the rest of today with only you"_

"_Draco…" it was her, but different. She sounded different…colder and more distant._

_But he was a fool; he smiled and walked to her, wrapping her in his arms. "Malina, I've been looking everywhere for you" he was going to kiss her, but she turned away and shrugged out of his arms "what is it?" he asked dumbly. He really should've known by then, but he didn't._

"_Draco, I have to go…" she said quietly, fidgeting with her hands._

"_Go? Go where? Do you want me take you there?" he asked._

"_No, _I _have to go..." she tried again "as in, leave and never come back". Draco's smile left his face, a confused look replacing it.  
_

"_Why?" he managed to mutter._

_She laughed a humourless laugh and shook her head "because I did it…" she said, though it didn't make any sense._

"_What do you mean 'did it'?" _

_She gave him a look full of loathing, one he thought she didn't have in him. "What do I mean? What do _I _mean!?" she seemed really angry, and Draco couldn't help but wonder what he had done to make her frown._

"I should've known she wasn't real" Draco muttered and hit himself on the head for being so stupid.

"_You and your kind are the reason…" she shouted, pointing a shaking finger at him "you-you destroyed my life" she crumpled into tears, but slapped him off when he tried to comfort her. _

"_I'm sorry—_

"_You'd think twice before apologizing if you knew just what you did" she interrupted. "I just came home from the Daily Prophet where I worked" she was shaking "everyone was in hiding, but I had to work because no one else would provide for my family, and do you know what I saw upon coming home!?" she glared up at him._

_He shook his head "no, I don't know…"_

"_I saw my muggle mother crying in agony and my sisters lying dead in a corner like trash swept to the side," Draco winced, knowing just how it would've looked like "and you know what else?"_

_He didn't answer. _

"_I saw you, standing over them with your wand drawn out!" she screamed and cried more. He looked away. He should've known better. He should've known he couldn't escape his past. He should've known a lot of things…but he didn't. He punched the wall, making his fist swell bright red. It hurt, but he barely noticed it. Now that she mentioned it, he knew what she was talking about. The woman with the kind hazel eyes, the one he apologized to before he had to kill her, and her daughters, one of which was barely six. It was horrible, but he had no choice at the time._

"_I had no choice…" he muttered quietly. She got up and slapped him._

"_You had a choice…" she cried "you could've _not_ killed them…" he didn't answer. "You destroyed my life, Draco Malfoy"_

"_I never intended to"_

"_But you did…" She said "you destroyed me when you killed them, and after that I—_

"_You decided to destroy me, too…" Draco finished for her "so, you did all this to hurt me?"_

_She laughed again "Yes…and ironic as it is, it doesn't make me feel any better, only worse for myself" she looked into his eyes when he turned to her. "But even so, i'm still glad you're hurt" the sentence cut through him like a dagger, and he knew there was no room in her heart for forgiveness. The Malina he knew was gone.  
_

_ "Goodbye Draco Malfoy" she reached for the engagement ring on her ring finger and handed it to him. "I'm sorry, but I can't be your wife…if not for this, I'd never have talked to you in the first place" she dropped the diamond ring into his open palm, took her things, and turned away.  
_

_**  
_

Draco looked down at the diamond ring in his hand and threw it away, down into the sea so he never had to look at it again. Malina left that night and never looked back. He remembered the moment she stepped out of his life forever.

_Draco watched as Malina walked out of his apartment, not even looking back. Then he heard the door close and a sound that meant she had disapparated away. Gone. Never to return. Upon realizing what had happened, he crumpled into the carpeted floor and did what he promised never to do again. He cried._

_**  
_

He looked one last time over the city and sighed. It was time to go. He walked to the edge and threw his wand away. There would be no need for it where he's going. "Goodbye Malina— he whispered, hands spread out, as if he were accepting his sad fate. Next thing he knew he had started to fall, the cold wind lashing at him from all sides, but...

"Draco, don't! Don't jump!" a hand held him, firmly keeping him from his death. He looked up and once again, a part of his life came prancing back into the front of his mind. "Don't jump"

"_Malfoy" she patted him on the head like his mother used to do, looking over him with concern. She sighed when he turned away from the food._

"_I should've known, Malfoy…" she said quietly "I researched about her when you told me about her, but…"_

_He looked at her "but what?"_

"_You just seemed so happy…" she finished._

"_I _was_ happy" he said sadly, and turned away again "Thank you for your pity, but I want you to leave" _

"_I-I…" she stuttered "It wasn't because I—_

"_Leave!" he pushed her away when she had tried to help him, but there she was again, helping him like she had always done. Maybe he _was_ a villain at heart. But he was wrong on one account…he wasn't alone. He was never alone because she had always been there. Even before Malina, she was there._

_**  
_

"Granger?" he asked quietly, but she heard. She nodded at him and pulled.

"_Malfoy, is that you?" he was walking to work that day, like he had done every day since he got the job. "Wow…you're _walking_ to work?"_

"_What, is it wrong to _walk_ too!?" he said defensively. "Why is it that everything I do is _bad_!?" _

_She immediately did a double take "No, I was just—I'm sorry"_

_He looked away and continued his morning walk in peace. But Hermione tried again. "So Malfoy, how are you?"_

_He didn't want to answer, but Granger was still the persuasive witch she had always been. "Good, I'm good, Granger"_

"_Wow, say a bit more and I'd know _everything_ about you" a ghost of a smirk graced his face, but it disappeared immediately "Could you say at least one more adjective to describe how you are?"_

"_I'm doing fine" he said, and she shook her head._

"_We're going to have to work on that," she said " I am fine by the way" she smirked, and Draco rolled his eyes._

_**  
_

"Malfoy!" she cried when he was safely back on the ledge. She hugged him tightly. "I thought I was too late, Thank Merlin…" she said against his chest.

"Granger, what have you done?" he said tonelessly.

"Saved you, Malfoy…" she answered "saved you from your worst idea yet" she looked up at him and smiled, patting his windswept hair. He held her hand and took it off his head. She looked at the rejected hand, but she didn't comment on it.

"No, Granger, this is my best idea…" he said "I should've done this earlier, I should've relieved this world of my wretched presence _sooner_" she shook her head.

"I know you don't believe that, Malfoy…" she answered, smiling at him though he had just pushed her away—again. He sighed but she continued "Malina was stupid for thinking you were still the same boy all those years ago"

"No she wasn't" Draco countered "She knew just how to act against her enemy, you should too, after all, you _know _better"

Hermione clicked her tongue impatiently "do you want to know _why_ I'm so nice to you?"

"Because you're a very nice witch and couldn't help taking pity on an old enemy…"

"No, but that's nice of you to call me nice" she smiled at him "No, I was nice to you because I remembered that time in Hogwarts" she corrected. He frowned.

"What?"

"You saved me, don't you remember? You saved me from a death eater" she said, but he couldn't remember. Then suddenly, it hit him. He did save her, but by accident. It was during one of their battles, he saw Hermione on the ground with her wand kicked a few meters away. She was a goner and he didn't want to interfere. But then, something came over him and he raised his wand, hexing the death eater off with Stupefy. He was so ashamed of what he had done at the time that he ran away before anyone had the chance to see him. But apparently, she did. "If it weren't for you, I'd be dead by now"

"It was an accident—

--that saved my life, Malfoy…You're not as bad as you think you are" Hermione interrupted.

He shook his head. He was...he was as bad as he thought. Everyone knew that, why couldn't she?

"I know you think you're alone in this world, but you're not" she put a comforting hand on his shoulder "_I'm _here…"

He laughed humorlessly "don't expect me to believe that, Granger"

"But it's true" she said.

"Then why have you never told me this before? You obviously just don't want me to jump off" it might've been the cold making her cheeks all red, but she looked like she just blushed.

"I tried…" she said quietly "the day you told me about Malina…"

"_Malfoy, can I talk to you?" Hermione entered his cubicle, fidgeting with a lock of hair that had fallen over her eyes._

"_Wait, before you say anything, I want to tell you something first…" he had never looked so happy before, so she nodded._

"_Well, say it" she prompted._

"_I'm in love…" Hermione's eyes went wide. But she didn't say anything, she smiled instead._

"_Wow, that's big news…" she said cheerily "who's the lucky girl?"_

"_Malina…I love Malina" he smiled genuinely._

"_The reporter?" Hermione asked._

"_Yes, and she loves me too" he smiled "I'm going to ask her to marry me soon, but not now, not yet…now what did _you_ want to say?"_

"_Malfoy, I…" Hermione hesitated "I-I-Malfoy, Congratulations…"_

"_Is that what you wanted to say?" he asked._

_She nodded feverishly and was about to walk away, but then decided to say something anyway "Malfoy, umm—just be careful, okay?"_

"_what do you mean?"_

"_About Malina, just take care okay?" she answered "you shouldn't trust someone so easily, Malfoy…"_

"_What do you care? Who are you to talk about her like that?" he frowned._

"_Malfoy, I'm just trying to—_

"_Help? I don't need your help! we're not even _friends_, Granger…"_

_She looked hurt by what he said, but she hid it away. He looked surprised at what he said too._

"_No, Granger, I—_

"_No, I get it…" she took a step backward "I'm sorry, Malfoy" after that, she left._

"_No, Granger, I didn't mean it" but sad to say, he did. He did try to follow her to apologize, but Hermione was already gone._

"I'm sorry, Granger," he apologized "I never got to…"

She shook her head "it did hurt a bit t first" he frowned "but, I've forgiven you a long time ago"

He smiled and mouthed a thank you at Hermione. She nodded, got up and extended her hand for him "so, will you come with me, Malfoy, and promise me never to do this again?" he looked at her hand and took it "Promise me you'll never do this again"

He smirked "I seriously don't know why you care, but, I promise"

* * *

(Three months later)

Hermione took both her coffee, and paper, to the couch. "Have you read the news, Malfoy?"

He shook his head "No, I was too busy doing something much more satisfying" he walked to her and kissed her neck. "By the way, you should know better than to call me _that_, Mrs. Malfoy" she turned and wrapped her arms around his waist, chuckling when he kissed a particularly ticklish spot on her neck.

"Sorry, old habits die hard" she said, hugging him closer to her. "How's your honeymoon, so far?"

He laughed "You tell me, now, what's so important about that news?"

"Oh right, I forgot…" Hermione turned the pages to the article she was looking for "Here it is, _Draco Malfoy: The changed villain_"

He had to laugh, "oh yeah, and who would write something like _that?_" But Hermione wasn't smiling.

"Malina Dryes Stuart" she said. His laugh got stuck in his throat, and he took the paper, scanning through the long article.

_**He has made many mistakes in his life, but who's to say people can't change? Draco Malfoy is truly a changed man. Better yet, he is a great man, and I am honored to have been a part of his life. **_

**MALINA DRYES STUART**

Draco smiled "Wow…".Hermione had her arms around his waist, and it made him grateful he stayed on a bit longer. He put down the paper and turned to her.

"Wow?" Hermione asked with a knowing tone in her voice. She sounded _jealous_. He smiled at her and placed a hand on her head, running it through her soft curls.

"Wow, as in, she's forgiven me for all the things I've done" he explained "why, are you jealous?" she frowned.

"No" she said defensively "no, I am not" he kissed her on the forehead.

"Don't be," he whispered "I love you"

She buried her face in his chest, and smiled, "I love you too". Draco smiled. Yes, he was never alone after all.

***

Draco Malfoy has fallen in love,

Fallen in love,

Fallen in love,

Draco Malfoy has fallen in love

With a fair lady…

***

* * *

**Another One-shot that just happened one day. Much more serious than my last one, but yeah. Hope You Like it!**

**This is Asha-Rose, Peace Out~**


End file.
